--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Crockwell, George W. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 14 number: 7 published: 1911-05 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'George W. Crockwell, "Joseph Smith, a Prophet of God—VII," *Improvement Era* 14, no. 7 (May 1911): 627–630.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1407unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera1407unse start_page: 627 end_page: 630 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1911-05) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1407unse publication_year: 1911 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1911, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Joseph Smith, a Prophet of God—VII Joseph Smith, a Prophet of God. BY ELDER GEORGE W. CROCKWELL. VII. In continuing my remarks upon verse 6 of section 87, Doc trine and Covenants, and naming to you the earthquakes, I shall only give the year and the name of the country in which they have occurred since the year 1860, without entering into details as to loss of life and property: 1860, Cornwall, England, January 13; 1861, Perugia, Italy, May 8, Mendoza, South America, Greece, North Morea, Corinth, and other places; 1862, Guatemala; 1863, Rhodes, April 22, Manila, July 2 and 3, Central, West and Northwest England, October 6; 1865, Macchia, Bindinella, Sicily, July 18; 1866, Tours-Blois in France, September 14; 1867, Argostoli, Cephalonia, February 4, Mitylene, March 8, and 9, Djokjo, Java, June 10; 1868, many towns in Peru and Ecuador destroyed August 13 and 15, West England and South Wales; 1869, Santa Maura and Ionian islands,December 28; 1870, Quebec, Canada, October 20; Calobra,several villages destroyed, October 20; 1871, Northwest part of England, March 17, Yorkshire, England; California, U. S. A., March 22; 1872, California, U. S. A,, several small towns destroyed, March 22, Lehrae, Eastern Calci, March 26 and 27; South Frontier India destroyed December 14-15, San Salvador nearly destroyed, March 19, North of Italy, at Venice, Verona, June 29: 1874, Azagra, Spain, July 22, Antigua, and places in Guatemala destroyed with great loss of life, September 3; 1875, Kara Hissa and other places in Asia Minor, May 3 to 5, Sungaria and neighborhood, May 12, San Jose de Cucuta and other towns near Santander, S. A., destroyed May 16 to 18, Lahore and vicinity, India, December 12; 1880, Valparaiso; 1883, Ischia and Krakatau; 1884, Colchester and the east part of England; 1885, Malaga and Granada; 1886, Charleston, South Carolina; 1891, Japan; 1892, Mexico; 1900, eruption of Mt. Axum in Japan;1901, the entire year was marked with calamities— January, earthquake in Mexico; February, earthquake in Transcaucasia; May, earthquake followed by eruptions of Mount Peele and La Solfriere; 1902, West India islands were disturbed; 1903, Guatemala; 1905, Cala- 628 IMPROVEMENT ERA. bria District, Southwest Italy, between the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas, called the toe of the country; 1906, San Francisco and Jamaica; 1907, the earthquake at San Francisco, with its direful effects and loss of life and property, is still fresh in the public mind. With the proofs presented, showing the fulfilment of this prophecy, I would ask the question, can any one point to a prophecy recorded in the Bible that has been more completely fulfiled than this revelation on war? But, before leaving this revelation, I desire to add the last prophecy made by Joseph Smith, as it also points to a period of war: When at the hotel at Carthage, a prisoner in the hands of the mob officials, he asked them if he appeared like a desperate character. They replied that his outward appearance seemed to indicate exactly the opposite, but they could not tell what was in his heart. To this the prophet responded, "Very true, gentlemen, you cannot see what is in my heart, and you are therefore unable to judge me or my intentions. But I can see what is in your hearts, and will tell you what I see: I can see your thirst for blood, and nothing but my blood will satisfy you. It is not for crime of any description that I and my brethren are thus continually persecuted and harassed by our enemies, but there are other motives, and some of them I have expressed, so far as relates to myself. And inasmuch as you and your people thirst for blood, I prophesy, in the name of the Lord, that you shall witness scenes of blood and sorrow to your entire satisfaction. Your souls shall be perfectly satisfied with blood, and many of you who are now present shall have the opportunity to face the cannon's mouth from sources you think not of, and those people who desire this great evil upon me and my brethren shall be filled with regret and sorrow because of the scenes of desolation and distress that await them.—Life of Joseph Smith, page 473. Was this fulfilled? Let the North and the South answer. I have presented to you a number of the prophecies by Joseph Smith, with proof of their fulfilment, sufficient to convince the most skeptical who will weigh them without prejudice. Before doing so, I placed before you a test that was given to Moses by the Lord, whereby a prophet should be judged. I now ask, in all candor, has he not passed that test with honor? If he has, there are two conclusions we must come to: first, he was a prophet of God; second, being a prophet of God, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must be the only true Church, with divine JOSEPH SMITH, A PROPHET OF GOD. 629 authority to administer the ordinances of salvation on the earth. Before closing, I desire to present for your most rigid investigation a test which the Lord gave to this generation—that it might be left without excuse—whereby all may know whether Joseph Smith was a true prophet or an impostor. You will find it in the Doctrine and Covenants, section 67. If Joseph Smith was an impostor, he was a most fearless one, but his every act and word show that he had a positive assurance that he was an inspired man. He advanced many ideas, and issued many commandments in the name of the Lord. In the year 1831, a conference had been called to consider the advisability of arranging and publishing the revelations that had been given to Joseph Smith by the Lord. Joseph Smith was not an educated man, and therefore was not very exact in the use of the English language. At this conference there were several men who were more learned, and a discussion arose as to the language used in the various revelations. Some thought they should be revised and corrected to more fully agree with the rules which govern the language in which they were written. But the Prophet Joseph declared he had received them from the Lord, and, in his fearlessness, he issued a challenge the most daring. I will quote verses four to eight of saii section, as follows: And now I, the Lord, give unto you a testimony of the truth of these commandments which are lying before you; Your eyes have been upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jr., and his language you have known, and his imperfections you have known: and you have sought in your hearts knowledge that you might express beyond his language, this you also know. Now listen to this challenge: Now seek ye out of the Book of Commandments, even the least that is among them, and appoint him that is most wise among you; Or, if there be any among you, that shall make one like unto it, then ye are justified in saying that ye do not know that they are true; But if ye cannot make one like unto it, ye are under condemnation if ye do not bear record that they are true. It was a most daring thing to do, if he had written them in and of himself. He who had never had the opportunity of obtaining 630 IMPRO VEMENT ERA. even a common school education, to throw such a challenge in the face of Sidney Rigdon, Oliver Cowdery and William E. McLellin, all well educated men. Sidney Rigdoa had been educated for the ministry, Oliver Cowdery and William E. McLellin were school teachers. The latter had taught school in at least five states of the Union, and in addition to this had been gifted by nature with a flow of language that was far more fluent than that of any of his constituents. Was it egotism or conceit that led the prophet to brave these educated men—or was this the son of the poor of the earth endowed from on high? This challenge brought one of these men down in the dust of humiliation. I will give you the account as written by Joseph himself: After the foregoing was received, William E. McLellin, as the wisest man, in his own estimation, having more learning than sense, endeavored to write a commandment like unto one of the least of the Lord's, but failed; it was an awful responsibility to write in the name of the Lord. The elders and all present that witnessed this vain attempt of a man to imitate the language of Jesus Christ, renewed their faith in the fulness of the gospel, and in the truth of the commandments and revelations which the Lord had given to the Church through my instrumentality; and the elders signified a willingness to bear testimony of their truth to all the world. Thi3 test, as you see, was given in the lifetime of the prophet Joseph. But it is just as good today. When the Book of Doctrine and Covenants was published, this divinely appointed test was included. You will find it in section 67. It stands as a challenge to all the world—choose your wise and great men, and see if any can write a revelation or commandment that equals the least in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants as given to Joseph Smith. If he cannot, then, according to the word of the Lord as set forth in the challenge, are "ye under condemnation if ye do not bear record that they are true;" and if they are true, "Mormonism," so called, is the gospel of Jesus Christ, and Joseph Smith a prophet of God. (the end.) Portland, Oregon.